


Ross and the Walrus Skin

by Mr Son (MrSon)



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Gen, selkieTrottimus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-09
Updated: 2014-03-09
Packaged: 2018-01-15 04:22:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1291177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrSon/pseuds/Mr%20Son
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On full moon nights, the walrus would come ashore to shed their skins and dance.</p><p>(Note to the Yogscast: Do not read any of my fics on stream.)<br/>(I do not support the Yogscast company. I write because I enjoy the characters.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ross and the Walrus Skin

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: Partially inspired by Ursula Vernon's [Jackalope Wives](http://www.apex-magazine.com/jackalope-wives/). She's one of my favorite authors, and I can't recommend her work highly enough.

=== === ===

On full moons, Ross would sneak out of the village while everyone else was asleep, and make his way to the beach.

Where the trees and grass gave way to sand, he'd hide in the woods and watch as the walrus came ashore and shed their skins.

Huge mounds of brown and pink blubber became handsome men and women, who would dance on the beach under the moonlight. They would pound the sand under their heels, and shove against one another, and sometimes get knocked down and roll aside only to jump up again and resume stomping. They danced like a rockslide, like waves crashing into the shore, like a storm battering the forest.

Ross had heard the stories, of course, of people who would steal the skins of the walrus women to take them as their brides. He'd been warned a thousand times by the village elders of the follies of taking such a path. As beautiful as the walrus were when they shed their skins, he knew they weren't meant to be his.

So when he snuck down to the pile of skins and grabbed one, stealing away into the woods with it, he never meant to keep it. He just wanted to see what they were like. He was going to give it back! ...Just as soon as he was done examining it. The walrus danced until near dawn; its owner would never miss it.

He hadn't counted on the owner of the skin noticing him leaving.

Ross had to half-drag the skin off the beach; it was so heavy he had difficulty lifting it. He managed to get behind some bushes and sit down on a large tree root. He spread as much of the skin out over his lap as he could. It was thick, and soft, and cool from the night air.

The night was young, so Ross took his time with the skin. It was hard to handle due to its size, but Ross managed to wrestle it around and get a look at most of it. He considered the idea of trying it on to see what would happen, and was talking himself out of the silly -- and probably stupid -- idea, when a man crashed through the bush and grabbed the skin.

Ross, in his manhandling of the skin, had gotten it wrapped around his legs, so when the man started pulling on the skin, Ross went with it.

Ross's head smacked against the tree root, stunning him briefly. He struggled, trying to get free, but the man must have thought Ross was trying to keep hold of the skin, because he only pulled harder, dragging them both onto the beach and towards the water.

At the sight of Ross struggling with the man and the skin, the walrus all stopped dancing and bolted for their skins, slipping them on and vanishing into the waves. Waves which Ross was steadily being pulled towards.

Desperate not to be drowned, Ross managed to get his sword out of its sheath and he started sawing away at the skin around his legs. He had to free himself before he reached the water.

They were only a few yards away from the surf when the skin gave way, and Ross' legs were free. He fell to the sand, trapping the cut half of the skin under him. The man stopped and stared at the half-skin in his hands with an appalled expression. He slowly pulled it over his head, and Ross stared as the man became a walrus from the waist up.

The walrus-man let out a deep, shaky wail and dropped to his butt on the sand. Ross pulled the half skin out from under himself and tried to hand it over, but the walrus only smacked his hand away with a grunt.

\--- --- ---

"And that's how I met Trott."

Alsmiffy stared across the dinner table at his friends, his loaded fork paused half-way to his face.

"More like how you stranded me on dry land." Trott grumbled without actual anger.

Ross slapped him on the shoulder. "I've still got the skin hanging in the back of my closet. Just in case we figure out a way to fix it."

Smiff stuck the fork in his mouth and swallowed his food before asking, "Is this why you were asking me if I'd studied transformations?"

"Yeah." Ross nodded. 

Trott poked at his half-eaten fish. "It would be nice to swim properly again."

Smiff took another bite of food. "Okay, I'll look into it."

=== === ===


End file.
